An Infatuation of Sorts
by Rubyyy
Summary: (AU) Ga Eul harbours an infatuation for someone she barely knows. Is it meant to be?
1. An Infatuation of Sorts

**An Infatuation of Sorts**

**A/N: Please note that this is an Alternative Universe (AU) story. The characters do not belong to me, but the story does. This is a work of fiction; any similarities to real life situations is completely coincidental.**

**Inspiration song on replay: Deok Hwan – I'm Going To Meet You Now (Queen In Hyun's Man OST)**

...

_It's just not meant to be._

The thought flashed through Ga Eul's mind as she shifted in her seat for the umpteenth time, while observing the ebb and flow of commuters pulsing through the subway station.

She looked at the digital clock on the information screen and realised she'd been sitting there for a good 20 minutes, just... _waiting_. A great way to spend her Saturday afternoon. She was the only constant in that space; many of the other commuters had already gotten on their respective trains, or had long left for their next destination.

But she... she was just _there. _Just waiting.

Ga Eul felt her palms dampening uncharacteristically from the subconscious nervousness, and she blew against them lightly in hopes of drying them somewhat. What is she expecting from this? Even Ga Eul didn't know. All she wanted at the point was a glance; a fleeting moment for her heart to flutter in excitement.

The sixth train that hour had arrived, and as the train doors opened and passengers started streaming out, Ga Eul tried to look out for the person she had in mind. She scanned the crowd, hopeful for that person to stride past her.

...

**Six months before...**

"_Let's try this new 'all-you-can-eat' barbeque place, Ga Eul-ah. I've heard really good reviews about it!"_

_Ga Eul pouted at her best friend, who was too busy looking at the menu outside to really care what she thought. _

"_Jandi-yah," she whined, "I'm not a big eater, you know that. And it's just us girls! How much could we possibly eat!"_

"_Mmm, the LA galbi sounds good, and the chicken bulgogi as well..."_

"_Yah! Geum Jandi!" Ga Eul shook her distracted companion out of her food fantasy, "You're not listening to me."_

"_I'm not listening to you if I am the one paying for dinner!" Jandi grinned, poking her best friend in the arm, "And look, this place is so near where you live! I can't believe you haven't even been here before. C'mon," Jandi began to drag Ga Eul into the restaurant, even before she could protest, "I'm hungry, and time's a'wasting!"_

_The ladies entered the partly-full restaurant and their expressions were literally at both ends of the spectrum, with Jandi greatly anticipating the sumptuous meal that would be taking place, and Ga Eul looking a little unsure of herself. She looked around at the other customers heartily tucking into their food, while conversing with their companions, drinking a variety of alcohol, and barbecuing the meat at their very own tables. _

_Ga Eul sighed and shuddered. She really didn't want to leave smelling like charred meat. That was one of her extreme pet peeves._

"_Hi, welcome. Just the two of you?"_

_Her thoughts were disrupted by a soothing voice by her side, and she realised that one of the waiters was standing right by her, with a soft smile. She was immediately struck by how delicately good-looking he was, with eyes that curved like crescent moons when he smiled. He was just slightly taller than her, medium build, dressed in a blue polo t-shirt, bermudas, and sneakers. Most of the staff were dressed similarly, though most wore jeans._

_Ga Eul straightened up and nodded back, as Jandi promptly requested for 'a good seat with better ventilation', in her usual direct fashion. _

_As the cute waiter led them to their seats, Ga Eul sneaked a glance at him. Maybe, she might have a good dinner after all._

_/.../_

"_Oh man," Jandi sighed, patting her stomach, after finishing dinner, "I am soooo full, Ga Eul! I can't believe we went through three portions of LA galbi! Good job, you-who-didn't-want-to-eat-at-a-barbecue-joint, you!"_

_Ga Eul cleared her throat and reached for her water cup. "It was actually pretty good," she admitted, downing her water, "I guess I couldn't stop eating it too."_

"_I knew you'd get into it eventually!" Jandi laughed, as she picked up some kimchi with her chopsticks, and popped it into her mouth, "But now I think I need some major exercise after this... we need to go walk around the neighbourhood! All 3km of it!"_

_Ga Eul tuned out her best friend as she scanned the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of the cute waiter again. He had walked up and down the aisle of tables during their meal, occasionally stopping to help clear plates, or scrape charred remnants off the grills. _

_She thought about how her mouth went slightly dry when he approached their table to clean their grill. As Jandi rattled on about her boyfriend, Goo Jun Pyo, and his latest antics, she bit her lip, part trying to concentrate on the conversation, part wanting to start a conversation with him, but not being able to do so. As he finished, he bowed politely and moved on to the next table. Ga Eul was disappointed that she couldn't get a word in. But what could she have possibly said?_

"_I'm going to get more water," Ga Eul announced abruptly, startling Jandi in mid-speech, "Do you want any?"_

"_Ah... no, I'm good," Jandi replied, eyeing her nervous friend, "Is something wrong? You look worried. The smell will wash off, y'know."_

_Ga Eul coughed as she caught a whiff of the next table's cooking meat. "No, no, I'm okay, Jandi," she insisted weakly, mustering a smile as she grasped her empty cup, "I'm going over now. I'll be back."_

_She shuffled quickly to the food area, which displayed an array of uncooked meats, cooked sides like pancakes, spicy rice cakes and japchae (vegetables with sweet potato noodles), pumpkin porridge and bean paste soup. As she reached the area, she noticed an empty plate that once held watermelon slices, but it looked like it had all run out._

_Ga Eul contemplated asking the waiter for a refill, but she didn't want to trouble him; after all, it was closing time and most of the staff were already busy cleaning tables. But her stomach also felt slightly uncomfortable from the excessive consumption of meat. Maybe a little fruit would cool her down._

_Just then, the cute waiter emerged from the kitchen, and she caught his eye._

"_Yes, is there anything I can do?" he asked politely, as he approached her._

"_Ah yes," Ga Eul replied, a little more gently than usual, "I was wondering if there will be more watermelon? It's run out."_

The cute waiter looked over and shook his head, "It always runs out so fast, the watermelon. I'll get the kitchen to cut another right away," he replied, giving Ga Eul that heartmelt smile. With a nod, he turned to retrieve the empty steel plate, and headed back into the kitchen.

_Ga Eul nodded back at him, and went to get more water as she was supposed to, secretly smiling to herself._

...

As the doors closed and the train gradually took its leave, Ga Eul wondered why she was so obsessed with seeing the cute waiter. Yes, he _was _cute and her heart never failed to somersault at the sight of him, but then... _what_? It's not like anything more could happen.

She didn't know if anything more _could_ happen.

...

**5 months before...**

"_...oh! Another good meal here. See, Ga Eul? I knew you wouldn't be able to resist coming back to this barbeque place!"_

_Ga Eul smiled at Jandi, as she continued to drink her seaweed soup, not saying anything._

"_But this is a good place to celebrate Ga Eul getting her teaching certificate!" their friend, Jae Kyung added cheerily, reaching for the last piece of kimbap, "We can eat as much as we want, and have a good time! Right, Goo Jun Pyo?"_

_The only male at the table and Jandi's boyfriend, Jun Pyo, looked up in mid-chew and nodded, before continuing his expedition around the table of leftovers._

_Ga Eul laughed at Jun Pyo's expression, and quietly observed her girlfriends chatting animatedly at the table. She was really glad that she was able to enjoy another good meal with her friends, to celebrate this achievement of hers._

_Not wanting to interrupt the conversation taking place at that point, she got up and headed over to the food area, wanting to get some watermelon. However, the desired fruit seemed to elude her once more. She sighed and shook her head. There was just no affinity._

_She looked around, hoping to find the cute waiter (whose eyes lit up in recognition when she walked into the restaurant earlier, despite not visiting in over a month). Instead, a skinnier, longer haired waiter came over instead and asked her what she needed._

"_Watermelon, please," she replied, politely._

"_Oh, I'm sorry, we're out of watermelon now," he replied somewhat apologetically, his words sounding a little garbled, "We just cut our last one."_

_Ga Eul's smile waned a little upon hearing that. "Ah, that's okay then. Thank you for your help."_

"_Wait... you have been here before, haven't you?" the long-haired waiter asked tentatively._

"_Yes I have," Ga Eul replied, brightening up slightly, "We're here again to celebrate, because I just got my teaching certificate."_

"_Oh, congratulations!" the waiter exclaimed, wiping his hands on his apron._

_Ga Eul bowed and thanked him. Just then, the cute waiter appeared from behind the long-haired waiter. Ga Eul perked up with a small wave to him._

"_I've just gotten my teaching certificate!" she announced to the cute waiter, a big grin crossing her face._

_The cute waiter looked uncertainly at Ga Eul, to the other waiter, and back at her._

"_Ah, I see," he replied coolly, "You will have to pay the bill now, please."_

_Ga Eul was quite taken aback by the cute waiter's lack of a response, but figured he was just doing his job, especially since it was so close to closing time. She nodded, trying not to show her disappointment, and headed back to the table to let the gang know._

_After they had paid and were about to leave, the long-haired waiter called Ga Eul from another table he was clearing up._

"_Excuse me," he said to her, in front of the others, "How old are you?"_

"_I'm... 22," Ga Eul replied, a little reluctantly._

"_Ah, 22," the long-haired waiter replied, as he continued placing dirty plates in the dish trolley. He cleared his throat before continuing, looking up at her, hope reflected in his eyes, "Maybe we could text each other sometime?"_

_This direct, very awkward request caught Ga Eul completely off guard, and she didn't quite know what to say, until Jandi jumped in._

"_Excuse me, sir," the fiesty best friend said loudly in an icy voice, "But it's rather unprofessional of you to ask a customer for her number, don't you think? And she doesn't have any interest in you, so back off!"_

"_Hey, this is between me and the lady," the long-haired waiter replied indignantly, the previously hopeful look in his eyes switching to a steelier one, as he glared at Jandi, "Don't interrup-"_

"_Yah! Song Jung Ho!" a brash, female voice shrieked from the payment counter, "Why are you so rude to the customer? Apologise to her at once!"_

_Ga Eul leaned over and saw the very cross looking lady boss shooting daggers over their way, but evidently, it wasn't to them._

"_Sorry," Jung Ho muttered, and pushed the dish trolley past them, into the kitchen. She saw the lady boss leave the counter in despair, quickly following her employee to the kitchen._

"_Yah... what is this kind of attitude?" Jandi huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Let's go, guys, I'm not ever coming back here again."_

"_Hey, cool down, babe," Jun Pyo cooed softly, putting an arm around his upset girlfriend, "He didn't mean any harm, he just wanted to get to know Ga Eul. Nothing wrong with that. Don't make a scene..."_

_Jandi snapped her head to look incredulously at her boyfriend. "What do you mean there was nothing wrong? Did you see how he looked at her? The cheek of that man..."_

_Ga Eul shifted uncomfortably where she was standing, wanting very much to just leave. _

"_Ga Eul-ah," Jae Kyung whispered, taking her hand and leading her to the exit, "Let's go, okay?"_

_Just as the group was about to leave, a voice caught their attention._

"_Sorry, everyone," the cute waiter said, bowing profusely as he approached them, "I'm sorry for my senior's behaviour. It was uncalled for."_

_Ga Eul's heart skipped a beat when he came up to her._

"_Here," he said, handing her a piece of paper, "My boss wanted me to pass you this. It's a 20% discount coupon for your next visit. Valid till the end of the year. I hope you'll come back again."_

_Ga Eul received the piece of paper gingerly. She looked up and gave him a small smile._

"_I guess I will be back," she replied shyly._

_Before he could say anything more, a loud voice bellowed from the back of the dining area._

"_Yah! Yi Jeong! I need help here!" the voice of a frustrated Jung Ho yelled._

"_Coming!" Yi Jeong replied firmly, and with a bow, he dashed off to help his senior in the kitchen._

_Yi Jeong, Ga Eul thought to herself as the group left the restaurant, At least I know his name._

...

Knowing his name was one thing; but when that was all Ga Eul knew, then maybe things weren't progressing so well after all. It was harder for her to really attempt to do _anything_ else, especially after the _extremely _awkward episode with Jung Ho. If she hadn't been so nice as to have talked to him, he wouldn't have made that proposition to text her, and Jandi wouldn't have thrown that fit on her behalf in the restaurant... if all that didn't happen, then maybe things wouldn't be _so_ awkward.

_Because the fact that things are so awkward_, Ga Eul sighed, it _makes it so much harder for me to get to know Yi Jeong._

She wasn't going to do anything out of the ordinary; after all, it wasn't like her to make the first move. But somehow, with him, she wanted to try.

...

**3 months before...**

_Ga Eul emerged from the subway station via the lift located nearest to her home, finally glad to be on the way back. It was a long day at work, and preparing for her class the next day took longer than expected._

_She had been teaching art to kindergarteners for about a month now, and while it was slightly challenging for her, she enjoyed the energy that she got from her young charges. They were full of spunk, full of surprises, and full of childish charm._

_Pulling out her cell phone as she walked along the pavement towards her apartment block, she saw that she'd received a message from Jandi._

_**Emergency! **the message said, **I'm going on a date with Goo Jun Pyo tomorrow and I have nothing to wear!**_

_Ga Eul chuckled to herself. Her best friend was never without her dramatic flair._

_**You bought a new dress last week, remember! **she typed in reply, **When we went to Hongdae for coffee?**_

_**I had to wear that for my chiropractic presentation!** came the frantic, immediate response, **You're not going to wear that long-sleeved Victorian blouse of yours anytime soon, are you?**_

_Ga Eul looked down at what she was wearing that day, and smiled. _

_**I'll pass you the green dress that you like, instead.** She quickly typed in reply._

_As she put her phone to sleep, another message popped up on the screen._

_**You're a lifesaver, Chu Ga Eul!**_

_The lifesaver shook her head with a smile. Her best friend really was quite the character._

_She continued her walk back to her block, passing a bus stop and an overhead bridge, when she noticed a group of guys walking in her direction. Ga Eul had always been slightly unnerved by big groups of guys, and hoped they'd walk quickly by._

_As they came closer, she noticed two familiar figures in the group talking amongst themselves: Jung Ho, the awkward guy who had tried to ask her for her number, and Yi Jeong, the cute waiter with the nice voice._

_Ga Eul bit her lip, took in a deep breath, and continued walking._

_The group came closer, and Ga Eul could hear the laughter in the group getting louder. She tried pretending to look busy, but she also wanted to see if she could catch Yi Jeong's eye._

_Unfortunately, Jung Ho was the closest to her, and was the first to spot her as they walked past. He greeted her loudly and flippantly as he breezed past, and the others in the group noticed her as well._

_Yi Jeong, who was standing to the left of Jung Ho, caught Ga Eul's eye, and grinned at her._

_Ga Eul greeted the group back, passed them quickly, and proceeded to grin widely to herself for the rest of the walk home._

...

After that unplanned meeting, Ga Eul would try to synchronise her time such that if she were to return home late, it would be around the time that the staff from the restaurant knocked off. She was subsequently successful twice; although she didn't see them the first time, and the second, they were so deep in conversation that they didn't notice her until Jung Ho walked past her (again).

One night, as she was on her way to the supermarket, she happened to spot Yi Jeong, Jung Ho, and another waiter in front of her, walking towards the subway station. Her steps quickened when she realised that, while maintaining a considerable distance, her mind racing to work out exactly what to do.

Ga Eul decided on espionage; not something that she was good at, but figured it was worth a shot. She tailed them all the way to the lift she'd usually take down to the subway, but just like in any movie, the targets got into the lift earlier and had begun to descend downwards, just as the heroine reached it.

Once down at the subway, she continued to tail the three guys all the way to one of the subway lines, trying as much to stay out of sight as possible, yet trying to make sure Yi Jeong was still in view. The three men stood in line at one of the doors, deep in conversation, not spotting Ga Eul at all.

As the train arrived, she hastily got on, hoping to spot the guys again in the neighbouring cabin. But to her surprise, only the third waiter was in the cabin, waving back to the other two guys at the platform, just as the train doors closed.

The train began making its gradual departure from the station. Ga Eul strained her eyes through the moving cabin to try to find Yi Jeong, but the rapid, flickering movement made her eyes hurt.

She closed her eyes, standing rooted to where she was, in complete disbelief that he was _so close_, yet so far.

...

**1 month before...**

"_Thanks for coming back with me, Jae Kyung unnie," Ga Eul said to her friend gratefully, "I can't tell Jandi that I'm coming here, she'd flip for sure."_

"_And even more so if she knew you had a crush on the waiter!"Jae Kyung hissed, as she flipped some pork belly onto the grill, "You're so sneaky! How on earth did this happen?"_

_Ga Eul laughed as she stirred her ginseng chicken soup. "I have no idea. It's just... weird, y'know? Just weird."_

"_Well, he is cute," Jae Kyung teased, "I guess I can't fault you there."_

_Looking around the crowded restaurant, it appeared to Ga Eul that the barbecue place was increasing in popularity. When the duo arrived without a reservation, a somewhat curt Jung Ho informed them that they were expecting more customers later in the evening, and if it was okay with them, they had to leave by 8pm. It didn't bother the ladies, especially since the fiery Jandi wasn't with them, and so they agreed to his request._

_By 7.50pm, however, it didn't seem like they would be able to finish the plates of food on their table by the stipulated time. Ga Eul decided to ask for a bit more grace, and so she approached Yi Jeong at the counter to enquire._

"_Why yes," he replied, somewhat taken aback, "Of course, please stay as long as you want. You're most welcome to."_

_With Yi Jeong's assurance, the ladies continued tucking into their feast of barbequed meats and other sides, while catching up on the latest news and gossip._

_By 9pm, they were both ready to surrender. Thankfully, Jung Ho had left them alone during dinner, and it didn't seem like they would be chased out from the restaurant anytime soon. _

"_That TV screen behind you is terribly distracting," Jae Kyung said sheepishly, nodding in the direction of the newly installed flat-screen television that was playing the latest Korean pop music videos, "That explains the momentary lapses in conversation earlier."_

_Ga Eul turned to look at the screen, which was playing the last bits of the latest girl group hit. Then, it switched to the index screen, revealing the titles of songs in the playlist._

"_I'm just going to check what's on the playlist," she told Jae Kyung, who waved her away in between gulps of cold barley tea._

_Walking to where the TV screen was, a curious Ga Eul scanned the list for songs that she wanted to listen to, but didn't see anything she liked._

_Suddenly, the list started scrolling down on its own, and she realised that Yi Jeong was standing right next to her, remote control in hand, directed at the screen._

"_Oh hi," she greeted politely, "I was just curious about the playlist."_

_Yi Jeong nodded back at her and continued scrolling through the list._

"_What do you do?" he suddenly asked, his eyes still on the screen, "I mean, I heard you're a teacher, but that in itself holds a variety of possibilities."_

_Ga Eul turned to him, surprised at the question._

"_I... I teach art at the kindergarten level," she replied. _

"_Ah... that sounds interesting," he murmured, looking at her momentarily, and then turning back to the screen._

_Ga Eul didn't want the conversation to end there._

"_How long have you been working here?" she asked._

_Yi Jeong turned back to look at her, his brow furrowed. "Hmm, I can't quite recall. I think it's been... nine months? Nine months."_

"_Ah... I see," Ga Eul continued, "Are you a student?"_

"_I'm not studying at the moment," Yi Jeong replied, "But I would like to go to university."_

_Ga Eul let the conversation fade into silence, after the obligatory reponse._

_The couple stood side-by-side for a beat, as Yi Jeong continued scrolling through the (very long) list of songs._

"_What would you like to listen to?" he asked, breaking the silence between them._

_Ga Eul continued looking through the list of songs, and perked up when she saw a song she liked from one of her current favourite dramas. "Could you play 'I'm Going To Meet You Now', please?"_

"_Sure thing," Yi Jeong said, scrolling to the song and selecting it. "All done."_

_Ga Eul thanked him politely and skipped back to the table, enjoying both the song, and the moment she had just shared with Yi Jeong._

...

The last time Ga Eul saw Yi Jeong, was just the week before. She had passed by the barbecue place with a colleague on the pretext of showing her the menu, since the colleague had never eaten there. They chose to eat elsewhere on that street, mostly because Ga Eul had already eaten there within the week, and that she didn't want to seem too obvious and too... _desperate_.

As the two women stood at the barbecue place's glass window, Ga Eul tried to point out her favourite meats on the menu as best as she could, while simultaneously and subtly looking out for Yi Jeong. She spotted him briefly at the refrigerator, dressed in the usual blue polo and a pair of jeans (he looked better in them, in her opinion), getting drinks for customers. Soon, he moved out of view, but reappeared soon after, sans drinks.

Ga Eul's colleague asked her a question about the student discount, and just as she was answering her, Yi Jeong walked over to the payment counter, which was by the door. She quickly averted her eyes back to the poster, unsure if he had seen her. When she looked up again, his back was to her, near the door, and he appeared to be looking around the restaurant. After a few moments, he walked to the direction of a table that had called for his attention.

That night, a confused Ga Eul called Jae Kyung up and related the story to her.

"_Unnie, _if you saw someone you knew," Ga Eul ranted, while brushing her hair, sounding very unlike her, "Wouldn't you go up to that person to say hi, or even wave? If Yi Jeong saw me through the window, why didn't he come up to say hi?"

"Maybe he didn't want to disturb you," Jae Kyung replied in a faux sagely voice, "He saw that you had company, and he didn't want to interrupt. He was trying to be polite. Not that he has to try very hard."

Ga Eul sighed and slammed the hair brush down onto her dressing table. She heard a shriek on the other end.

"What was that?!" Jae Kyung yelped, her voice shaking, "That gave me a shock!"

"Oh, sorry," Ga Eul said sheepishly, "That was just my hair brush."

"Girl," Jae Kyung clucked her tongue, "You have got it _so _bad, it isn't funny."

Ga Eul buried her head in her arms, while cradling the phone in between her right ear and shoulder. Jae Kyung was right. She felt like she was going _mad_.

...

"_Hi."_

_Ga Eul's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. She opened her eyes, allowed it to adjust to the light... and there he was, standing right before her with his heartmelt smile._

"_Oh... h-hi. Are you on the way to the restaurant?"_

_Yi Jeong nodded. "It's the only reason I'd be here. How about you? I was walking by and noticed your colourful top," he said, referring to the multi-coloured poncho she was wearing that day. "It's an odd place to take a nap, don't you think?"_

_Ga Eul smiled uneasily, while still looking up at him. She grabbed her things and rose to her feet quickly. "Ah... I-I was just thinking about something, that's all."_

"_Sorry if I interrupted you. Are you waiting for someone?"_

_You. I'm waiting for you._

"_Umm, I was but... my friend couldn't make it at the last minute. S-so I was just... calming myself down. I don't like being stood up, you know."_

_Yi Jeong shook his head in sympathy. "I'm sorry to hear that."_

"_It's okay," Ga Eul shrugged nonchalantly, "It happens. I guess I'll be going back home... so we're going the same way."_

_Yi Jeong's face brightened. "Great, I could use some company, despite it being a short walk."_

_The couple started to walk to the escalator, which led them up to the upper floor of the subway station. Ga Eul got on first, with Yi Jeong following behind._

"_By the way, I've never officially introduced myself," Ga Eul said, feeling a spurt of confidence rush through her, while on the escalator, "I'm Chu Ga Eul."_

_Yi Jeong smiled, looking up at her. "I know," he replied, "I've seen your name on your credit card."_

_Ga Eul giggled. "Of course. You received my payment most of the time."_

"_My name is So Yi Jeong. It's nice to finally meet you, Ga Eul ssi."_

"_It's nice to meet you too, Yi Jeong ssi," Ga Eul replied as she stepped off the escalator. Elated at the fact that she could finally say his name out loud, to him, words continued to flow from her mouth quicker than her brain could process them. _

"_I've always wanted to talk to you more outside of the restaurant, but I just never got to."_

_That confession made Yi Jeong blush slightly, and Ga Eul couldn't believe she had just said that. To him. She cringed inwardly as they approached the lift, unsure of what he was going to say next._

"_Really? I'm glad you did," he admitted shyly, pressing the 'up' button at the lift before looking her way, "I was wondering if I'd see you again at some point."_

_Ga Eul's eyes widened in surprise. The lift arrived and the doors opened._

_..._

Ga Eul felt a sharp nudge against her shoulder, and her eyes sprung open, just as the train doors in front of her opened too. She turned to glare at the person who had knocked into her without apologizing, but all she saw was an elderly man's hunched back, his long coat sweeping the subway floor as he limped away.

Sighing, she stretched a little to get the tension out of her body, and her eyes searched for the time. More than an hour had passed since Ga Eul first sat at the subway, hoping to get a glimpse of Yi Jeong on his way to work the evening shift.

Maybe she had timed it wrongly; maybe he went earlier than she thought. Ga Eul felt a slight indignance bubble up within her, as she recalled her previously failed attempt to spot him at the train station after closing time. She couldn't have gotten it wrong _twice_ in a row! It was just too much to handle.

Ga Eul collected herself and stood to her feet dejectedly, adjusting her multi-coloured poncho as she did so. As she walked to the escalator and got on it, she turned and looked longly back at the platform, hoping she would get a glimpse of Yi Jeong somewhere.

_But evidently, _she thought to herself sadly, facing forward again as the escalator made its ascent to the real world, _i__t's just not meant to be._


	2. Making It Happen?

**2: Making It Happen?**

**A/N: I wasn't planning on writing a follow up to the story, but a few people requested for me to not leave them hanging... so here's my attempt at continuing :) Enjoy.**

...

Ga Eul told herself she wouldn't do this again, but as she tried to prepare for her class the following evening, her thoughts just kept shifting to all the 'what-ifs', 'could bes' and 'maybes'.

_What if... she could run into Yi Jeong again?_

_Could it be... that she just needed to try harder?_

_Maybe... she should try again._

A tormented Ga Eul ruffled her hair with her free hand and tried to get those thoughts out of her cluttered mind. If it _really _wasn't meant to be, why did she have to try so hard to _make_ it be?

She sighed. Maybe, all she wanted was just a chance... to know that she tried, at least. A chance to be bold, to make the first move, to do something she'd never done before.

Ga Eul looked at the clock, and then back down at the star templates she was cutting for the next day. She decided that they could wait.

...

Ten minutes later, after putting on some light make-up and dabbing on some perfume, Ga Eul was out of her apartment with her purse and a book in hand (a travel guide to Bangkok – the first book she saw on her bookshelf), on her way to the subway station. She left earlier than usual, wanting to see if this new routine proved itself right.

She coolly plugged herself into her music player, and placed a chirpy, happy song on replay to pep her up. It was a song that reminded her of a long drive in a convertible on a sunny day, although none of it was happening at that point. It was just a regular night, it seemed; nothing quite out of the ordinary (save for her unusual spurt of determination).

While en route to the subway station, Ga Eul decided to blend into the mish-mash of people waiting for the bus. She tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, crouching over her phone slightly, attempting to make looking at a blank screen as interesting as possible, in between trying to spot Yi Jeong.

A few minutes later, she heard some familiar voices pass behind her, and she realized it was the trio again – Yi Jeong, Jung Ho, and the third waiter. She bit her lip nervously as she watched them walk side by side in the direction of the subway station.

Ga Eul closed her eyes, counted to 20 _very slowly_, and got up to follow them.

Instead of taking the regular route to the subway (the lift down and a long walk down an underpass), she decided to take a shorter cut – dashing across the road (risking her life unnecessarily in the process) and ducking into an alternative exit near a shopping street. That way, Ga Eul was able to reach ahead of them, and make it seem as if she was already at the subway station. (She _really_ was getting the hang of this espionage thing.)

Once at the station, she made her way to the right subway line and found a spot where she figured she could see the waiters walking by. Flipping idly through her travel guide, she began to browse through a section on the floating markets, although her mind wasn't entirely on wanting to find out more about that.

Soon, Ga Eul spotted Yi Jeong and Jung Ho at the corner of her eye, strolling behind her, in conversation. While she tried to sneak a look at them, she quickly averted her eyes when she thought Jung Ho noticed her. She buried her head deeper into the book, and went closer to the doors.

Just then, the train arrived. Ga Eul had to quickly decide which door to enter. The nearer door meant that they would notice her; a door located further away meant she probably wouldn't be seen. Fortunately (or unfortunately), the door nearest to her was packed, and so she entered through the door slightly further away from her, and managed to find a spot near the door.

Yi Jeong and Jung Ho got on two doors away from her, and she pretended not to notice. As much as she wanted to casually go over to make conversation, it was just... _too_ awkward. The awkwardness was really killing her, and she mentally strangled Jung Ho for being the cause of it all.

She looked up from her book and managed to see Yi Jeong, dressed in an army green crew neck t-shirt and black jeans, despite the many people in between. (The view of Jung Ho was blocked by the other passengers, much to Ga Eul's relief.) He was still in conversation with Jung Ho, but she could see his side view clearly. She admired the face she hadn't seen in a while, a face that she had almost forgotten, but wanted so much to remember.

Just then, Yi Jeong turned his head in her direction and (possibly) made eye contact.

_Busted._ Ga Eul averted her eyes back downward, trying to look natural, but also knowing that it probably didn't work if he had already spotted her. She closed her eyes momentarily. _What do I do now?_

Two stations later, the train carriage emptied considerably, and Ga Eul managed to snag a seat. The men too, were able to find seats diagonally across from her, and again, she was thankful that she had a good view of Yi Jeong, and a 'restricted' view of Jung Ho.

Surprisingly, Ga Eul wasn't as nervous as she was the other day. Her palms weren't sweaty and her heart didn't randomly thump in double time. If anything at all, she probably was... curious, and trying her best to keep a low profile. If she couldn't bring herself to be bold, then she would have to just make do with it all being a mere 'coincidence'.

She sneaked another look in Yi Jeong's direction. While most commuters were plugged in (like she was), or occupied with their cell phones, he stared straight ahead, deep in thought. He held onto his cell phone, the only thing that he appeared to have on him (probably aside from his wallet in his pocket).

For a brief moment, Ga Eul thought that he was looking at her from the corner of his eye, but she couldn't tell. Just to be safe, she continued to pretend reading the guide book.

The train reached an interchange station and Ga Eul knew the guys would get off there. True enough, as the train came to a halt, Yi Jeong and Jung Ho got up and made their way to the door. Ga Eul told herself that she wasn't going to follow them all the way to the other side; her espionage would end there.

With that, she let Yi Jeong go.

...

The funny thing about that episode was that it had left Ga Eul more hopeful than before. Being on the same train as Yi Jeong, and getting to see him, at least, made her feel oddly better, as compared to how she'd felt the last time while waiting at the subway station, to no particular avail.

She hummed the tune she was still listening to as she walked home, thinking about the possible scenarios that _could have_ taken place, had she been more 'courageous'.

Ga Eul picked up her phone and reread Jae Kyung's last message to her, reminding her to be more subtle, lest her cover be blown.

"_And no more 'bumping' into him until our dinner date,"_ she added for good measure, referring to the appointment they'd set for a barbecue session the week after.

_I guess I could try to avoid that_, Ga Eul tried to convince herself, _it's going to be a busy week, anyway._

As she continued her perambulation down the pavement to her apartment, her mind churned with potential situations and possible outcomes. They replayed in her mind, finding ways and means and alternatives to reach a certain conclusion – much like a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' story.

And the adventure Ga Eul chose for herself was this: that the following week, at her dinner date at the barbecue place, she would find the opportunity to ask Yi Jeong out for coffee the next day.


	3. The Following Week

**Chapter 3: The Following Week **

_Easier said than done._

Ga Eul had kept her word to Jae Kyung, and for the whole week that had passed, she did not even attempt to bump into Yi Jeong anywhere in the neighbourhood (although, she had to admit, it did cross her mind _twice_). Despite her busy schedule, she really looked forward to seeing him again, even just fleetingly.

But as the days drew closer, Ga Eul began to have second thoughts: could she _really_ do this? Wouldn't he think she was weird? And how could she keep this on the down-low? It seemed virtually impossible. His other colleagues would find out sooner or later. That would be... _awkward_, for sure.

Previously, she had envisioned herself heading to the payment counter, where Yi Jeong would be, and he would help settle her bill. As he does the necessary with her credit card, she would pass him a piece of folded paper that says, _"Are you free tomorrow?"_

He would look up at her quizzically and ask her why. She would unfold one side of the paper and show him the sentence, _"Do you like coffee?"_

Whateverthe answer was, she would then show him the flip side of the paper, which would say, _"Tomorrow afternoon at 3, let's meet at Starbucks for coffee?"_ and hope that he would match her bravery, and say yes.

Ga Eul figured that she just wanted to satiate her curiosity about Yi Jeong, to see if he really was the kind of guy she thought he was (soft-spoken, polite, kind). If that coffee meeting didn't work out, then... maybe she'd just never visit the barbecue place again (_and lose a good recommendation in the process, _she thought wryly, which would then be a pity).

Naturally, she was afraid that this might change things between them; a standard fear that would arise when it came to making the first or next move. What did she _really_ have to lose, though? Her reputation? Her pride? It's not like they were even friends right now. Their connection, their relationship was currently a blank canvas, meaning that _anything_ could happen at this point.

As much as she couldn't seem to shake of that feeling of dread in the pit of her belly, Ga Eul hoped that there would be a pleasant enough outcome, somehow.

...

Soon, the day arrived for Ga Eul's agreed 'barbecue date' with Jae Kyung at the barbecue joint.

She had arrived late, resulting in Jae Kyung taking the seat facing the entire restaurant, with a clear view of the comings and goings of both the customers and the staff.

"Sorry I'm late!" Ga Eul wheezed, as she tried to catch her breath, plopping herself and her bags on the seat opposite, with her back facing the restaurant.

Jae Kyung clicked her tongue in mock annoyance, her arms folded. "You better be! I've been waiting here for quite a while."

The guilty party put on her best cutesy look, took out something from her bag and placed it on the table. "That's why I brought you a peace offering! And the reason I was late."

Jae Kyung's eyes immediately softened. "My favourite brand of cookies!" she exclaimed in glee, grabbing the bag and trying to sniff its contents, "You're totally forgiven!"

Ga Eul couldn't help but giggle. Her _unnie_ was very easily won over with anything sweet.

"I was on the subway earlier and when I got into the train, I smelt those cookies in the air!" she explained, "I had to make a detour to go buy some... I just _had_ to. So I bought five for you, and five for me... and," she suddenly furrowed her brow, "There's one free... but, _hmmm_. I don't think _either_ of us should take it; we have too many cookies between us..."

Jae Kyung caught Ga Eul's drift and continued the deadpan analysis. "Well, that's strange, so who should it go to then?"

"I don't _really_ know right now," Ga Eul replied, her eyes twinkling, "But what I know is that there is tons of food calling our name! C'mon, _unnie_, I'm starving!"

Jae Kyung shook her head with a knowing smile as she watched Ga Eul dash off in the direction of the food on display. _Someone _was feeling hyper today.

...

"You know what," Jae Kyung mused, as she flipped over a slice of pork belly on the grill, "I've not seen that other guy around yet. The one who was rude to Jan Di?"

Ga Eul's eyes widened. "Really? Oh, what a relief. Then maybe Jan Di should have joined us today."

Jae Kyung laughed and placed the cooked pork belly in Ga Eul's bowl. "Not a chance in this lifetime. You know how she is; if she says she won't do something, she _won't_. And she said she wouldn't come back. That's why I'm here, right?"

"I suppose... _so, did Yi Jeong say anything to you earlier when you came in?_" Ga Eul asked conspiratorially, her voice dropping to a whisper above the chatter in the restaurant.

"_Hello, how many? This way, please."_ Jae Kyung replied very matter-of-factly, which made her besotted companion choke on the pork belly slice she was in the midst of eating. "What, were you expecting him to ask about _you_?"

Ga Eul shrugged. She didn't make much conversation with him earlier herself, seeing how she was already late for the appointment. All she did was to smile and nod at him, and inform him that her friend was inside. He merely gestured back in response.

Just then Ga Eul noticed someone emerging from the kitchen with some clean plates in hand. Her heart sank; it was Jung Ho, awkward guy extraordinaire.

"Well," Jae Kyung mumbled, in between munches of the _kimbap_ in her mouth, "That hopefulness was nice while it lasted."

...

Ga Eul sat through the rest of dinner feeling rather... _restless_. Suffocated, even; like there was an imaginary clamp on her chest that kept pressing down and wouldn't relent. She suddenly felt extremely awkward herself being there, the thoughts of her mini 'escapades' weighing down on her. She hadn't seen Yi Jeong for the past week, and suddenly being around him again, at a much closer proximity felt... _weird_.

She couldn't bring herself to look at him, because she knew her eyes would give herself away. But avoiding his gaze, yet knowing that it was (occasionally) on her, kept her slightly on edge.

Getting up at one point to refill both cups, Ga Eul noticed but Jung Ho and Yi Jeong sitting near the entrance, facing the food area and drink dispenser. As she refilled the cups, she heard Jung Ho clearing his throat loudly, and very randomly.

_Did he really have to do that_, Ga Eul bit her lip, _Things are already awkward enough_.

She shuffled back to her table as quickly as she could, trying to ignore the murmurs she could hear coming from the guys.

"_I can't do this, unnie. I can't,"_ she whispered, feeling the confidence draining from her being.

A confused look crossed the short-haired lady's eyes. _"What's wrong?" _she whispered back,_ "You have something to give him, and you have something to talk to him about... you have it all planned."_

Ga Eul sighed. "This all just feels so... _strange_."

"It's called 'getting what you want', and it feels better with a bottle of beer. I'm going to get you one," Jae Kyung replied firmly, beginning to rise from her seat.

"No, wait," Ga Eul stopped her friend, while getting up from her own seat, "_I'll_ go get it."

At the drink refrigerator, she looked up and down the shelves for a can of the beer she wanted, but to no avail, and that despite it being listed on a pictorial sign on the front of the door. She looked around for help, and managed to catch Yi Jeong's eye. He strode over to her.

"Umm, are there no beer cans available?" she asked tentatively, pointing at the picture on the sign.

"Ah, we've not been getting any," came his breezy reply, "Only the beer bottles."

Ga Eul looked at the bottle. It was a thousand won more than the beer cans, and since Jae Kyung was a relatively good drinker...

"Okay," Ga Eul replied, clapping her hands, "Challenge accepted."

A visibly amused Yi Jeong kept the door open for her as she grabbed the beer bottle, and shyly made her way back to the table.

...

"...and then, he confessed his love for her IN PUBLIC! Can you imagine that, _unnie_! A guy confessing his love for a girl before he enters the army is like a death sentence for her! How shrewd... but I still like that couple, how cute are they!"

Jae Kyung rolled her eyes and sighed. She couldn't imagine why she'd even suggest drinking tonight, because _this_ was why she would usually never let Ga Eul drink. She was in the midst of talking her ear off about one of her favourite celebrity couples, whose music video had just appeared on the television screen.

Ga Eul smiled dreamily to herself and drank a little more beer. The restaurant was emptying out and there were only two more tables left aside from them. One of the waiters was looking through the order chits at a table near the kitchen, and Jung Ho had just sat down to chat with him.

Looking at her watch, Ga Eul suddenly gasped.

"Oh! Look at the time, I should probably go pay. _Unnie_, wait here, let me get the bill..." With that (and a slight rummage of her bag), Ga Eul had bounced up from her seat, grabbed her wallet and extra cookie, and headed for the payment counter.

Yi Jeong was just about to head off from the counter when Ga Eul appeared, waving the order chit in her hand. He nodded, took the mini clip-board from her, and headed back.

He began to process her order, when she suddenly spoke.

"Oh, yes, I was wondering..." Ga Eul said, a little awkwardly, "I'll be coming on Sunday with some of my juniors from my teaching course, would I have to make a reservation?"

Yi Jeong looked at her a little strangely, and then looked down to key in the numbers on the computer. "Yes, you would. Weekends are our busy days and so you'd definitely have to make one."

"But... I don't know what time I can come," replied a somewhat lost Ga Eul.

"That's 64,500 won," he announced in his soft, even tone, and Ga Eul handed over her credit card. "Well, if you come without the reservation, you'd have to wait for the next available table."

Ga Eul was a little disappointed that he was telling her what she already knew. She was hoping that he would do something... _different_, like maybe make an advanced booking for her? She was a regular, after all. Wouldn't she deserve that, maybe?

"How many of you are coming?" he continued, ripping the receipt from the machine and handing it to her.

"I don't know," Ga Eul said truthfully, while half-heartedly scrawling her signature on the dotted line. She handed it back to him, and he handed her the receipt and her card back.

"Why don't you give us a call on Sunday then," Yi Jeong suggested, "Once you know your plans."

It took a while for Ga Eul to process that, and her eyes fell on the restaurant namecard on the counter top. She grabbed one and put it in her wallet with the other items, secretly surprised that he had not given a namecard to her himself.

Yi Jeong was about to take his leave when Ga Eul stopped him. "What's... your name?"

"Mine?" he asked, looking confused, "Yi Cheon."

_Cheon? Yi Cheon? _Ga Eul thought to herself, _I've got his name wrong this whole time?_

"Ah, Yi... _Cheon_," she replied politely, and was about to give the obligatory response of how nice it was to have met him, when he just walked away.

A confused Ga Eul continued to stand at the counter, her heart pumping in double time because of the alcohol rush, and her wallet clutched in her hands, with a lone cookie hidden from view behind it.

...

Later, Ga Eul realised that she had misheard his name; it really _was_ Yi Jeong. She had heard the senior waiter call him over to help wipe down the cutlery in the kitchen.

Bellies full and the alcohol messing with their heads slightly, the ladies decided to take their leave. As they were leaving, they greeted the various waiters who passed them. When Yi Jeong passed them, they nodded politely to each other and greeted good-bye.

"I'll call you on Sunday," Ga Eul said to him, a tad meekly.

Yi Jeong nodded and walked towards the kitchen.

When the ladies were finally outside and on their way to the subway station, Ga Eul buried her head in her hands and wailed.

"This was _so _awkward... or maybe _I _made it awkward for myself! _Omo, omo_... what do I do?"

Jae Kyung reassuringly patted her despairing friend on the shoulder.

"It wasn't... _that_ bad? Your cute waiter and that other guy looked over at the table a few times, if you were wondering. And at least you got to talk to him too, even though you didn't get to pass the cookie over."

Ga Eul raised her head from her hands as both ladies stopped at the traffic crossing.

"I left the cookie on the chair."

Jae Kyung snapped her head to look at Ga Eul. "You what?!"

"I mean, I _couldn't_ give him the cookie, so why should I keep it?" she said sadly, while crossing the road with Jae Kyung. "They'll find it and I guess they will figure out what to do with it."

"What if they kept it till Sunday?"

Ga Eul managed to muster a brief smile. "That would be strange."

...

Ga Eul walked Jae Kyung to the subway station, trying to rid herself of that feeling of awkwardness. But no amount of reassurances from her _unnie _helped; it was just what it is.

As she made the eventual walk back to her apartment, she tried to distract herself by attempting to recall what was going to be on television that night.

Ga Eul began to run the TV schedule through her mind. _It's not that variety show, nor that singing show.. ah! The talk show. My favourite actor is going to be on it. And, _she looked at her watch,_ it's starting in five minutes. I better walk faster._

Just as Ga Eul looked up, she spotted three familiar figures walking toward her in the distance. Her eyed widened in panic as she realised who they were.

"Oh no, oh no," Ga Eul murmured to herself, "What do I do, what do I do?"

She suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to take flight; she didn't want to face them, she didn't want them to pass her, she didn't want them to ask about the cookie, _if_ they had even found it on the chair. What would she have done if they _did_ pass her? She couldn't look Yi Jeong in the eye. Not after sensing how weird he seemed around her. It was obvious that _she_ had been too obvious about her actions.

Her heart sinking deeper into her stomach, Ga Eul decided to make a dash down the nearest alley, a back lane towards her apartment, taking her further and further away from running into the guys.

As she ran frantically down the alley, Ga Eul didn't know whether to laugh or cry; everything that she had imagined was, of course, easier said than done.

She was also convinced that she couldn't bring herself to see Yi Jeong anymore; not tonight, and possibly not _ever._


End file.
